Search - Mezz Mezzrow :: 1951-1953

Mezzrow in Paris

Bomojaz | South Central PA, USA | 06/07/2006

(3 out of 5 stars)

"This is the sixth volume in Classics' complete Mezz Mezzrow in chronological order, all of it recorded in Paris, and by this stage Mezz was pretty much beyond his prime. Indeed, some of the sidemen here offer better jazz moments than their leader. The CD starts out with three Vogue 78s, one of them being a nifty 3-minute drum solo by Zutty Singleton. The other two feature powerful playing by trumpeter Lee Collins. Next up is a concert at Salle Pleyel by pretty much the same band three months later (it's unusual to find "live" material in the Classics series and I wonder if this is a change in policy). Most interesting is the playing of tenor sax man Guy Lafitte, 25 years old at the time, who went on to become an excellent mainstream modern player; even on old warhorses like SWEET GEORGIA BROWN and ROYAL GARDEN BLUES you can hear a more modern approach coming from Lafitte. Claude Boling is featured on Earl Hines's A MONDAY DATE and he goes from a superb Hines imitation into an equally superb James P. Johnson simulation before he's through. It's the highlight of the CD. Next are selections from another concert in 1953 that feature some dreary "Big Chief" Russell Moore trombone effects, a couple of fair Red Richards piano solos, and a version of AIN'T MISBEHAVIN' with excellent Gene Sedric featured on tenor. The CD offers a mixed bag of material, none of it as interesting or good as his King Jazz sides with Bechet or the even earlier sides on Victor in the mid-30s. Recommended for Mezzrow completists only."